Key water treatment plant reopened in Mosul

Mosul, 22 August 2017 - The Government of Iraq and UNDP’s Funding Facility for Stabilization (FFS) officially reopened the Al Qasoor Water Treatment Plant at a ceremony yesterday in Mosul.

Al Qasoor is the second largest water treatment plant in eastern Mosul, providing safe drinking water for 35 percent of residents. The plant provides 12,000 cubic metres of fresh water per hour to 24 neighbourhoods, reaching 300,000 people.

Most of the plant's pumps, valves, switches and control panels were destroyed as well as its chlorination system and filtration pools. Work began on Al Qasoor in early May, even as the fighting in western Mosul continued. The Ninewah Water Directorate oversaw the US$ 1.3 million project, which was implemented by Iraqi company Thfaf Al Rafidain employing hundreds of workers from Mosul.

At the ceremony marking the re-opening of the plant, Ninewah Governor Nofal Hammadi said: “We are doing everything we can to help Mosul rebuild. I’m proud of the Iraqi workers who bravely began work even while fighting was ongoing directly across the river. This project is a vital step to improving the well-being of the people of Mosul, and we’re grateful for the continuing support from the United Nations.”

“The plant has been repaired in record time,” said Ms. Lise Grande, UNDP Resident Representative for Iraq. “Now that the fighting has stopped, everything possible needs to be done to stabilize and reconstruct Mosul.”

More than 330 projects are already underway in Mosul through UNDP's Funding Facility for Stabilization.

“Ninety-five percent of all stabilization initiatives are contracted through the Iraqi private sector. This lower costs, ensures high levels of local ownership and generates jobs in the areas where they are needed the most. Nearly 10,000 people from Mosul are working on stabilization initiatives,” said Ms. Grande. “There’s a lot more to do in Mosul, and we will be there to help the Government and people of Iraq."

Mosul was one of the last major holdouts in Iraq of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which took control of the city in mid-2014. The military campaign to liberate the city started in October 2016 and continued for 10 months. Nearly one million civilians were evacuated during one of the largest managed evacuations in modern history.

Mosul was declared fully liberated by the Prime Minister of Iraq in early July. More than 700,000 civilians are still away from their homes, waiting to restart their lives. Through its Funding Facility for Stabilization, UNDP has been implementing projects in Mosul since late 2016.

Established in June 2015, FFS is working in newly liberated areas in Anbar, Salah al-Din, Ninewah, Diyala and Kirkuk Governorates. More than 1,100 projects are completed or being implemented across 23 locations. Since the start of the crisis, over 2.1 million people have returned to their homes.